Celebrating Fathers Day

They had to put it off for a week, but Dave and his dad Mike got to "celebrate" Father's Day today fishing the back waters of Amelia Island. I met them out at Goffinsville Park early and we headed over to Pumpkin Hill to fish a tide that had been going out for a couple of hours. It was still high enough to fish some float rigs up near the marsh so we baited up some live shrimp and eased along the bank. It didn't take long and Mike had a strong hookup and this one headed deep, ripping drag as it went. I guessed it right -  Shark - but it was still a good fight and woke all three of us up! We fished a few spots here and there then made a run.

Our next stop was down at Spanish Drop, working along a bank after switching to jigs and shrimp. We picked up a couple of Seatrout and Dave hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish. We fished a couple of runouts and found a couple of hungry Seatrout at each.

We made our way up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and
things heated up a bit here. We had a couple of small Black "puppy" Drum  caught, then we had a good hookup and Mike worked to the boat a keeper sizes Sheepshead. Dave battled a Redfish to the boat, the biggest of the day, but just undersized.  We worked our way down Seymore's and fished a small cove in the rock bulkhead. I think it was Mike's first cast and Boom! Something hit it hard on the way down. Mike worked it patiently to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized Flounder. After catching a couple of Toad fish, we moved on!

Our final stop was down at Broward Island, still fishing an outgoing tide that was being pushed by the West wind, and even though these two anglers were making excellent casts, we had no real bites, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Whole Lot Of Catching

The fish catch'n seemed to get better as the morning went along today. I had met Mike Moavero and his relatives, Tommy, Will and Jackson up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp early and with a low and still outgoing tide, we headed over to and up the Bell River. I had passed a stretch of bank that was lined with oysters yesterday and with the tide still gong out, I thought it would be a good start for our first spot. The anglers were pitching jigs and live shrimp to the bank and as we worked along we seemed to spook some big fish that left wakes in the trail. But one must have hung around because after making a perfect cast Mike had his bait hit hard and, Fish On!  We could tell this was a big fish by the way it rolled up near the bank a few times and ripped some drag. But Mike kept the pressure on, worked it to the boat, and landed a nice 22" Slot sized Redfish. We continued along that bank and Tommy got in on the action and landed a keeper sized Flounder.

Continuing on up the Bell, we stopped at another likely spot and here Jackson heated up, catching a handful of small but fun to catch Seatrout. We went further up the Bell and fished some dock pilings. Here, things really heated up. They caught a handful of Black "puppy" Drum to make it an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Redfish, Flounder, Seatrout and Drum. Then Tommy snagged and landed a Sheepshead to make it a "Super Grande Slam", and Jackson finished it off with a keeper sized Seatrout.

Our next stop was around at the Jolley River, just east of the MOA, in a deep bend in the river, and still tossing jigs with the tide now coming in. The bite just got hotter! Will got on the board with a couple of Seatrout catches, one that was just a hair below the size limit, and then Mike hooked up and landed another keeper sized Flounder. Tommy had a strong bite, a hookup, and battled to the boat another nice Slot sized Redfish. All four anglers were catching Croaker, a couple that were big enough to throw in the box.  We finished the day down at Jolly Bank catching Golden Croaker, then we wrapped things up, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Flurry At The End

I fished with some young anglers, Kyle Smith and his brother-in-laws David and Braden, meeting them up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park early this morning. We made a run over to and up the Bell River, stopping along some exposed oysters beds on the last of an outgoing tide. The trio of anglers were tossing live shrimp on jigs and making excellent casts and it paid off with a couple of hungry Seatrout catches.

We continued on around to some docks at Pirates Woods and fished a few of those docks thoroughly. We had just set up to fish when Braden spotted a small alligator cruising out into the river and keeping an eye on us. At one of the docks, Braden had made a good cast to a "cave" in  a mud bank and a fish took his bait and ran. Braden set the hook and worked to the boat a keeper sized Flounder.

We fished Jolley Bank with the jigs and about half way thru the run David switched to a float rig, fishing off the stern, and found a feisty Redfish to bring to the boat.  Again, Braden saw the wildlife, this time a huge Manatee out in the middle of the river. We continued on around to the outside of Tiger and here we had our most action of the day. All three anglers had switched to the float rig and used the last of our live shrimp before switching over to mud minnows. David hooked up and landed a nice keeper sized Seatrout then Kyle did the same, bringing in another keeper sized Trout. Then David cast just north of a pocket, let his bait drift over a shell bed, and hooked up with another keeper sized Flounder which he brought to the net.

Our final stop was back around at a point on Bell River and here they caught a couple of more hungry Trout before we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Bringing Them To The Boat

I was fishing north this morning, meeting Chris Jones, his wife Beth and their son Alex up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp. The tide had just hit bottom so we buzzed over to the back side of Tiger and fished the logs with jigs and live shrimp on the very first of an incoming tide. We worked the logs thoroughly but all we got was a small Mangrove Snapper that Chris hooked up with.

We then ran around to Jolley River, and fished the bank. The trio picked up a few small Seatrout then Beth had a strong hookup. She patiently worked it to the boat and landed a nice keeper sized 18" Seatrout. We picked up one or two more smaller trout before we moved on.

Our next stop was up just past Snook Creek. Alex was fishing a float out the stern but Beth and Chris stayed with the jig rod. Chris had a bite - it didn't fight much, but ran to the
boat, but then it powered deep and Chris had a fight on his hands. He played it perfectly though and after a good battle brought to the net a hard fighting Bonnethead Shark.

After fishing the outside of Tiger for just a brief bit, we came back inside of Tiger, fished a cut, then continued on around to Bell River and set up along side a pointe of grass that was flooding with water. This did the trick - we finally had some steady action. There were a couple of times that these anglers had some nice fish on but they'd throw the hook. But Beth had "stepped her game up" and when she had a hookup she kept the pressure on, fought a brief battle, then landed a big 21.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish! This fish moved Beth into 3rd place in the Angler's Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Seatrout Category(scroll down the right side of this report for standings). We fished a bit longer, landed a trout or two, then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

All Around Good Day Fishing

We had a bit of b breeze this morning, but that made for some comfortable fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida. I had met Paul Johnson and his son Henry down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp and after making a short run up the Nassau River, we set up to fish with jigs and live shrimp along some exposed oysters at the bottom of an extreme low tide. These two anglers were making excellent casts and in a short time, it paid off when, BOOM!  Henry had a hookup that ripped the drag of his size 1000 reel. Henry played the fish perfectly as it took him from the bow of the boat to the stern and after a good battle, landed a nice 18"+ Slot Sized Redfish, one that we photographed and released.

We finished working that bank then ran up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe where we pitched to dock pilings. Paul had the first hookup -a big fish. He played it perfectly and soon landed a keeper sized 18" Black "puppy" Drum(this fish was released also).Henry followed that up with a couple of puppy
Drum catches of his  own.

Our next stop was down at Broward Island. We fished the north end for a bit then moved down to the south end. Here, Henry was fishing a large marsh runout and found two Stingray's to do battle with.  We then came up to Pumkin Hill and drifted float rigs along the flooding oyster beds. Paul had opened his bail and let his bait drift further back and this did the trick. He caught and landed a 19" Seatrout then followed that up with another keeper sized Trout. These two they took to Kitchen 251 for a great Amelia Island Backcountry lunch of fresh caught fish!

Big Jacks Make Way For Big Reds

We had another beautiful morning today when I met Darrell Holcomb and his brother-in-law Jim down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. Most of the day stayed a little big cloudy and with an 8mph breeze, the day remained pleasant to fish.  We made a quick run up the Nassau and then turned into the current to begin tossing jigs and live shrimp to the still exposed oysters on the first of an incoming tide. Jim "knocked the skunk off" when he landed a hungry Seatrout, then Darrell added one of his own. then Darrell had a strong hookup and a big fish fight ensued! Darrell kept the pressure on as the fish took him from port to starboard then it ran long and deep, but it was no contest - Darrell worked it to the boat and landed a huge Jack Crevalle.  We picked up another one or two Jacks before we made the run up to Seymore's Pointe.

Fishing some dock pilings, Darrell had put his bait up close and BOOM! right off, big fish on. He worked it to the boat
expertly and landed a nice 18" keeper sized Black Drum. Our next stop was back at Twin Creeks where we fished their mouths with float rigs and live shrimp to no avail. But as we drifted down the bank with the current we began to get fish. Darrell had a good bite that ripped his drag. He played it perfectly and soon landed a Slot sized 22" Redfish. He quickly followed that up with a keeper sized Flounder. Jim added a Redfish that was just an 1/8 undersized.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill, still drifting floats and shrimp. Jim had made a cast over some flooded oysters and his circle hook snagged as it came across. But luckily it came looses with a tug and as it drifted past the oysters, BOOM! Big Fish one1. This fish was ripping drag and heading south and a good clip. I  wondered if it wasn't a smaller fish but I checked JIm's drag and it was fairly snug. We even chased the fish for a bit and as Jim worked it to the boat I saw it roll - Big Redfish!  Jim played it perfectly and soon brought to the net an oversized 29" Redfish!  We hit one more spot briefly then called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Big Fish Rally

I fished this morning with the Prophater family, Kristen and Zach and their kids Wilder and Sawyer, meeting them down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. The tide had been coming in for a couple of hours so when we made our way up the Nassau River, we fished with float rigs and live shrimp to the bank. Zach struck right off when he hooked up and landed a keeper sized Seatrout, then Wilder followed that up with a hungry Flounder.  Sawyer decided to go to a jig and shrimp on the bottom and it paid off with a couple of Catfish catches, one of which was pretty big!

We moved further up the Nassau and here Wilder put another Catfish in the boat and Sawyer added a keeper sized Whiting (all fish caught today were released). We then made our way on up to Seymore's Pointe and fished a marshy pointe. Kristen got hot, landing a couple of Mangrove Snapper, one of which was fairly large, then she tangled with high flying Ladyfish and brought it to the boat. Wilder had gone to the jig and shrimp, pitching back to some dock pilings, and here he caught two feisty Black "puppy" Drum.

Our next stop was down at Pumpkin Hill. We had caught a good handful of fish all morning long and as the team fished their floats up near the bank I was thinking that things "looked right" and, BOOM! Kristen's float had disappeared and when she tightened up on the line, the drag began to rip,and, Fish On!  This was a big fish! The fish boiled up near the bank a couple of times in shallow water but Kristen kept the pressure on and we worked it out to deeper water where the battle ensued. Although the fish ran deep a number of times it was no match for Kristen as she applied the pressure and slowly worked it to the net for landing. The fish measured right at 31.5", way oversized, but a great fish for a family picture.

We were about to wrap things up when Kristen was drifting her float across some submerged oysters and again, BOOM!  It wasn't quite as big and I was calling "smaller Redfish". Kristen handed the rod off to Sawyer who brought it to the boat, a BIG 23.25" Seatrout, boy what a fish. And with that ,we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

New Lure Finished

Just completed, handcrafted out of Heart Pine, $35 includes handcrafted stand:

Hot Morning Good Fishing with Friends

After an early morning run to St. Mary's, Ga to haul a kayaker participating in the Cross The Line Foundation fundraiser, I met Todd Johnson and his fishing buddy at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp for a mid-morning start. It was already getting warm but these two anglers were eager to get out on the water and enjoy spending some time fishing the back waters of Amelia Island.

We made a quick run over to the outside of Tiger Island and fished some marsh grass on the first of an outgoing tide with live shrimp under a fixed float. Although we didn't catch anything big we did "knock the skunk off" with a few hungry Seatrout catches. We then buzzed thru Tiger, around to Bell, and up the Lanceford to fish a small grassy island. Here, Brady hooked up and landed a keeper sized Flounder that went in the box.

After that we came back to Soap Creek, fished a run out, BOOM! Trout on!  It wasn't big but boy did it happen quick. We moved up the bank and both anglers found a small Redfish to tangle with, then Todd had a stronger hookup, one that pulled some drag, and after a good battle landed a Slot sized Redfish.

Back to Lanceford, fishing some docks and here Todd got into some small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum. Being a weekend there were tons of boats and anglers out on the water so we decided to make the long run up the Bell River and have the area to ourselves. We had just been fishing one set of dock pilings when Brady felt a "bump", set the hook, and hooked up with an even bigger Flounder to go into the box!

Our final stop was around in the Jolley, fishing the MOA. There was ton's of bait getting "popped" but they didn't like what we were presenting, so we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Big Redfsh On Beautiful Day

It was an absolutely gorgeous day this morning when I met Phil Nichols, his sons Sam and Ben and father-in-law Doc down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp. We made a long run up Middle River and around to Pumkin Hill and set up with float rigs and live shrimp on the last of an incoming tide. The guys were making good casts to the bank and letting their baits drift with the current and Sam quickly "knocked the skunk off" when he hooked up and landed a hungry Seatrout. He followed that up with another then as Doc drifted his bait off the stern, his float slowly disappeared and BOOM! Big Fish On! This fish was ripping drag, boiling up shallow, then it headed north, headed south and headed deep. Doc kept the pressure on and slowly worked it to the boat and finally, after a long battle, landed an oversized 31.5" Redfish, big enough to move him into a tie for third place in the Anglers Mark 2020 Bragging Rights Tournament-Redfish Category (scroll down the right side of this report for standings). Boy what a fish!

We continued to fish the marsh grass and Phil and Ben got in on the action by catching and landing a Seatrout of their own. We then fished Spanish Drop for a while, move up and fished some more, then ran thru Horsehead to fish the entrance for a bit before calling it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.